Daughter of Death
by MixedBreedMaiya
Summary: [Formerly called 'The Rift'] Raine takes a tumble, sending her mind into what she assumes to be the afterlife. But when she figures out what's going on there, more mysteries and problems erupt, one after another. When will it stop?
1. A Tumble

Oh my gosh. I know, I know. STOP STARTING NEW FICS! But I couldn't help it this time! I had totally awesome inspiration! n.n

Raine: Another one!? -Facepalm-

...Yeah...Another one... And I can guarantee you won't like this one any more than any of my others.

Raine: _Won_-derful.

Teehee. Okay. Some of this will be quite similar to an episode of Star Trek: Voyager(of which I am a devout fan) called "Coda." But It was such a fun idea, I couldn't pass it up! Enjoy! Give me reviews! Eat pie! (Yeah... It's late...)

**Special Thankingness:**

**God, for my loved talent**

**Namco, for the kick-butt game**

**Paramount, for the original inspiration**

**I.K.A. Valian, for all of those really thought-provoking reviews. It was really special for me to get to read all of that, because it showed how very interested you were in my fic!**

**And, all my other readers. You're all loved, because you've supported me for so long, in so many things. Thank you all.**

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She shifted the staff on her shoulder as they walked, and flexed the other one a bit. With her free hand, she hid a yawn, and proceeded then to brush oplaine-white hair away from her face. They had spent a good portion of the day walking, making their way from the Ozette area, back toward Sybak. Yes, they probably could have used the Rheairds, but... Colette was infatuated with the idea of walking, now that her Rune Crest was finished and Altessa recooperating sufficiently. In fact, they'd all just paid him a visit to make sure.

Now, they were heading off to prepare - the coming battle might prove to be the last. The final fight with Mithos Yggdrassil for the fate of the world. A quiet sigh passed her lips. Raine Sage was glad when they cleared the Gaoracchia Forest and ended up on the anything-but-level grounds stretching between it and the University Town. The darkness was a little depressing in light of what was looming up before them. But now, in the sunlight, they walked along the edge of a high cliff overlooking a shore below.

It was quiet for a while, until Colette started singing something. Evidently Sheena knew it, too, because she joined in. Raine herself was familiar with the song - but she didn't sing. She stayed silent as she trod next to her brother, who looked a little solemn as well. The Sage siblings were similar in many ways - full understanding of and mulling over dire situations was one of them. But when the song turned to something close to a bouncey, upbeat song a bunch of drunks might sing around a campfire, most everybody was singing along.

Still, though she was smiling despite herself at the antics of her brother and their companions, she refrained from joining the loud and carefree caterwalling. The only other two smiling in silence were Regal and Presea - somehow, she couldn't see the man or child singing, particularly to something like this. However, Lloyd and Colette were bouncing along, Genis tripping all over himself and laughing himself breathless while trying to keep the song going. Zelos was belting it out - amusing in itself - and Sheena was laughing too hard to really sing. Soon, Raine, Presea, and Regal joined in quiet laughter. It was too amusing not to, even for the two sedate adults.

Ahh, it was good to have fun. To just let loose and not care who saw or what was going to happen. It helped to dissole the heavy tension in the air. Zelos was dancing with all the girls, now. It was something between a clumsy waltz and an odd fox trot as he went from one to another. Colette paired off with Lloyd, and they both ended up on the ground, practically dying of laughter. Genis and Sheena tried it, too, making the healer's smile edge a little more toward a grin.

Raine did manage to stop the red-head before he reached her, and Zelos settled for swinging a good-natured Presea around instead. She stepped backward to avoid a collision with Lloyd and Colette, who had gotten up to resume their frolicing, and the smile dropped quickly.

The majority of her foot landed on nothing but thin air, and thus caused her to lose balance. She fell with a yelp over the side of the cliff, and tried wildly to catch something. Falling from this high up would not be a pleasant experience. When at last her hand caught a rough ledge sticking out of the rockface, she clung. Raine brought her other hand up to latch onto it, too. Above her, she heard the festivities abruptly cease with Genis' horrified call of, "Raine!"

Trying to calm her breathing - though it wasn't easy when one was dangling many feet above the ground - she squeezed her eyes shut. Level head... Sedate thoughts. There was a solution to this... Right? "I'm alright," she replied, though her call was weak. She could feel herself trembling, and attempted to stop it. That wouldn't help. "I'm...alright..."

"Is there anything you can use to climb?" asked Sheena. They were all kneeling on the edge, watching her tensely.

Raine chanced a look around to scout out her surroundings. But nothing was close enough for her to use. Strong as her arms were for her staff - which had fallen down and broken in half on the way to the sand below - she couldn't possibly support herself well enough to reach for something, without a foothold. Of which there were none. Her booted feet searched for anything she could push herself up with. But all they did was scrape against the rock and send pebbles tumbling down the same path her rod had. "...No...Nothing close enough," she gasped. The ledge was hurting her hands, and she knew her arms would get tired soon.

"Hang on, Professor!" called Lloyd. "We'll find a way to get you back up!"

"Trust me, Lloyd... I have no intention...of letting go..." Her eyes closed again, her knuckles whitening and her palms starting to bleed just a little under the strain. _I don't have any intention... But this ledge may say otherwise..._

"Raine, can--" Regal was cut off as the half-elf he'd been addressing gave a gasp and more crumbling reached the ears of the helpless onlookers.

A chorus of her name and her title sounded from above as the rock gave way under a deal made between fate and gravity. She called out, though she wasn't entirely certain if it had been a word or not. She hit against the cliffside several times on the way down, and by the time her battered body reached the sand, the terrified soul had left it.

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-Insanely maniacal laughter- How about that? Starting off with a cliffy chapter like that. Tsk, tsk. Bad author. And lookie there... Making it all happy and bouncey, only to... Well, do that.

Raine: O.O

... -Wave- Raine? Oh, geesh. Anyway. -.- Read and review! Keep watching. This one might actually go faster than others...


	2. Father

Chapter two! Well... I got a review. I hope that means people care about this one.

Raine: I don't.

Oh, come on, Raine. It's not that bad.

Raine: ... That's a matter of opinion.

You are so pessimestic. It ain't like I'm doing anything awful to you...yet...

Raine: Besides dumping me off a cliff.

Oh, please. Everyone has to fall off a cliff sometime! Duh. Okie, let's go! n.n

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_"Raine, hold on..." _

_"Professor..." _

_"Raine. Raine, answer me. Please..." _

_"Raine..." _

Her eyes opened slowly as these voices echoed around her, like some far off, distant dream. It took several tries for her vision to clear enough that she could make out a blue, cloudless sky above her. But no faces. No cliff... No ocean, no beach. She was not lying on sand, but rather cool, soft grass.

As she sat up slowly, rubbing her head, the voices faded on a whispy breeze that tossled her hair and clothing playfully. Her clothing... She looked down, tilting her head. The garments she wore were not her familiar white shirt, or red nad black overcoat. She _was _wearing black pants, but they were different. And she wore a violet shirt very recognizably elven in style. What was this? Where was she...?

In the distance, she thought she could recognize Iselia. So then... She had to be between the village, and the Triet desert. Raine got to her feet, looking at the far away village. If she was there, she wanted to know why. And she wouldn't accomplish that by staying here.

She walked toward it, lost in thought. "How can I be here," she murmured to herself, "when I know I fell over the side of that cliff...?" She wasn't even sore. No wounds, no pain... Nothing. Why? As she entered Iselia, she looked around. It was the same peaceful little village she remembered... Nothing was burnt, charred, or ruined. It was in one piece, and looked to be flourishing.

"Professor! You're back!" shouted a cheerful voice.

"Welcome back, Professor Sage!" called another.

Raine spun on heel to faces the speakers, giving a start as she recognized both Lloyd and Colette coming toward her with smiles on both faces. "Lloyd... Colette..."

"How was your trip?" asked the swordsman, coming to a halt before her, with Colette at his side. "I bet it was fun."

"...Trip...?" Fun? Her brow furrowed, she stared at him. What in the world was going on here? Where was everyone? And why did these two stand here, looking as though absolutely nothing was wrong? It didn't make sense. Was she dreaming? Or... Had the whole journey, as the eight of them, been the dream?

No. That couldn't be. It was much too long, much too vivid. She had too many memories of falling asleep, of having dreams during that time, of conversations... That could not have been a fabrication of her own mind. But neither did dreams _usually _hold this level of conciousness; of thinking about it being just that. Sometimes. But not often.

"When you went to Triet," Colette replied. "...Is something wrong, Professor? Are you tired?"

"Y..yes. I'm a bit worn out... Was I gone for that long?" She was trying to sound natural about this - it wasn't easy. But she tried.

"It was several days. I guess you lost track of time, giving your presentation there, huh?" Lloyd grinned at her. She did not return the smile. This situation was getting stranger and stranger...

"Yes... I guess so. I-is Genis around?"

"Wow, you must be tired. Genis went off to Sybak, remember? To be a student in the Academy for a while. He's not going to be back for a long time." Lloyd gave her a bit of a funny look, apparently puzzled. "Maybe you should rest a while."

"Of... Of course. Yes, I'll do that." Rather confused herself, Raine slowly turned away and began to walk, absently, back toward her house. If she was in Iselia, but Lloyd was talking about Genis being in Sybak, which was not on Sylvarant but Tethe'alla, then either the worlds were not seperate or they were still able to travel between them. But why would Lloyd and Colette be back here...if the worlds were still apart...?

"Raine! ...By the sword, you've grown!" called another bright, half-astonished voice. Someone was walking toward her, his brown hair pulled into a short tail at the base of his skull. His green eyes smiled at her. "I suppose I should have expected as much, though... It's been over twelve years, hasn't it? My... You're quite the young woman now, aren't you? I'd like to say it's a shame you're here - and it most certainly _is _- but just seeing you... Being able to hold you in my arms now again makes it difficult."

For he had, by this time, taken her into a hug. Raine was tense, staring with wide eyes over his shoulder. "F...Father..." What...?

_How!?_

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Stupid shortness of a chapter... But oh well, I guess... -Sulk-

-Ahem- ... Bum Bum Bum!!! Woah... That's weird! This is getting quite odd, i'nnit?

Raine: I hate you. -.-

I know... I know... Please keep watching, if anyone is. n.n


	3. The Afterlife?

Yay? Chapter three? I don't even know if people are liking this fic... I hope so, but it worries me...

Raine: Take the hint, child. _Stop writing it._

Raine, just leave me alone. -.-

Raine: I will, if you promise to return the favor!

...No. xD Please read and review!

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Raine immediately seperated them, keeping him at arms' length with her hand against his chest. No. No, this could not be her father. Now there had to be something wrong. For one, he had never been to Sylvarant in his life. Two, that life had _ended_ twelve years ago. The man who blinked at her now with soft green eyes could not _possibly _be Kloitz Sage.

"Who are you?" she demanded hotly. Whoever, or whatever, was impersonating her father definately did not have her vote for a friend. "Where am I, and why?"

"Why?" asked the must-be imposter. He tilted his head. "Well, Raine... I'm afraid only you can answer that. I don't know how you died. I do know that I am Kloitz Sage, and you are my baby girl. Though... Not so much a baby anymore are you?" Another of his smiles surfaced, and he took the hand she was holding him back with.

Raine withdrew it sharply. "Died," she echoed. "I am not... I can't be..."

"You can't be dead?" he finished, gently. "I know how you feel. I imagine everyone goes through a period of denial right after their death. No one really wants to believe it. But nevertheless, my dear, you _are _dead, at least to that reality. By the way... What did happen to you?" He had closed the distance between them, and put a hand to her cheek.

But she wasn't really listening to him. She was staring at the grass. It couldn't...really be true. Yes, she knew that a fall like she'd had could potentially kill its victim, but... The idea of being deceased was not exactly comforting. "Raine?" At last, she looked up at him, and swallowed hard.

"...W-what?"

"What happened to you? How did you come here?" repeated Kloitz, even more gently.

"I fell... Off the side of a cliff, on our way to Sybak," she replied, sounding a little sick with shock. She _didn't _want to believe it. And her mind was rapidly trying to come up with another solution, another explanation to this. So far, it wasn't really working.

"Sybak?" He gave a start. "What were you doing, going to Sybak? And with who? What happened?" he demanded.

"It wasn't because of the university... It's a long story, but sufficive to say I was travelling there with friends. I slipped, though, and fell off. The last thing I remember... The last thing I remember is crashing into the sand at the base. Then nothing, until I woke up outside of Iselia. This village..."

"I see. This village holds significance for you, doesn't it?"

"Yes. This is where...Genis and I have lived, for the past twelve years... Since Mother sent us through the Otherworldly Gate." She allowed him to guide her into step with him, and they started walking through the peaceful village. "What is this place?" she asked at last. "I see my friends, people I know--or maybe that I knew. But I also know that they aren't dead."

He smiled very slightly at her. "No, likely they are not. This is...a sort of afterlife. But it's not a generic one, not like the 'heaven' we're all taught about by the Church of Martel in life. It's very specific, for our family. Just for our family."

"Just for our family? Then...why do I see--"

"If you'll let me finish," he laughed, "I'll tell you." Kloitz turned a fond smile upon his daughter. "You always did ask alot of questions. Always impatient to know what was going on at all times. Well, dear, you see these people, because they're who you _want _to see. The people who were close to you in life, will all be within reach in this place, as well. They just...won't be truely the souls of those people. You see, only relatives will come to this plane when their lives come to an end. The rest are your friends, and yet...not. It's very difficult to explain."

"It's impossible," she retorted, somewhat flatly.

"Why?" he challenged. "No one ever _really_ knew what happened to someone when they died. Like it or not, Raine, this is the afterlife. It's a perfect world - here, there is no discrimination, no suffering. Your friends are still your friends. The personalities are still there. They just aren't dead like you - and you'll never know when they are, because they will join _their _own families, I'm sure."

"So the reason...that Genis isn't here, is--"

"Because he's still alive. Yes, exactly. He _won't _be here until he dies. But no one ages here, it won't seem like that long before you see him again." He stopped their walk. "It's not so bad here, Raine. You can spend eternity in happiness with the people you love. I''ll admit, I did miss you, your morther, and your brother terribly. But we have each other, now."

The human took her head in his hands. "My sweet girl... Oh, I love you. I always did... But we couldn't keep you. You were in too much danger, both of you... Sending you through to the legendary world parallel to Tethe'alla was the only way."

Raine only really half-listened to him. She was too busy thinking. What about those voices she'd hear - the voices of her friends, and her brother? Had that just been the very last thing she'd known of life as it gave her up to...this? Was she really... Could she really be _dead_?

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Not an interesting chapter, but informative. Explaining what's going on... Or am I? Dundundun!

Raine: ...What?

-Giggle- You'll just have to keep reading and find out! 'Member to review!


	4. Not Ready

A new chapter. Sorry, this fic lacks action thus far, really. I do have some things planned, but for now, bear with me on Raine's walk through her subconcious. After all, I did label it spiritual. n.n

Raine: So... Not only are you forcing me to go through all of this, but you're _boring _your readers in the process?

I certainly hope not. o.o ...Are you people bored?

Raine: -Rolling of the eyes- Get on with it, if you must.

I must!

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As she sat in the classroom of Iselia's one-room schoolhouse, Raine stared at the desk in front of her. A perfect world, he'd said. Well, it didn't seem so perfect to her. Her friends were around, but she still knew that they weren't _really _the people she'd known. Sheena had shown up by this time, too, "visiting" from Mizuho. It was probably only a matter of time before she saw everyone... All of the others.

She rested her elbows on the surface, and put her head in her hands with her fingers threaded through her hair. Everytime she closed her eyes, she could see that cliff, and the horror on Genis' face as she fell. How could she exist peacefully here with all of these memories? Would they fade, with time? Or would she simply adjust to them?

The professor slowly pushed herself to her feet. She felt compelled to see this oh-so-wonderful afterlife - to meet her friends. See just who her unconcious mind desired to be with for the rest of eternity. Her mother wasn't dead, as far as she knew, so she wouldn't have to worry about bumping into her. Likely all seven of the others would be here with her. Kratos, she doubted. They had nothing between them at all - she didn't even care to tolerate the man, let alone spend eternity around him. And while she wasn't particularly close to many of the others, they were still her friends.

But who else? Anyone? Anyone specific? What fond memories would be brought up in this existance after mortal death? She actually scowled at herself when she found herself thinking that walking down memory lane might be fun. It didn't seem fitting to be _happy _about this. She didn't want to be dead.

Raine toured Iselia first, looking it over up and down. She felt her father's gaze before he approached her, but said nothing until he actually did. "Life here is similar to life in the old reality," Kloitz remarked. "Things happen, lives are lived. They just don't end... Nothing is really difficult, or painful anymore. And yet you look so unhappy. You've left suffering behind you, my daughter. What more do you want?"

"My life. My friends... My brother. The list could go on. This is far from being a paradise to me right now. Forgive me for not desiring death." Pursing her lips, she began to walk again. Unsurprisingly, her father followed.

"I do understand, believe it or not. I didn't want it, either, at first. I knew what I'd left behind, and I longed for it excruciatingly. But then I realized something - there _is _no going back to that, Raine. You can't change what happened, you can't bring yourself back to life. You will see Genis again eventually, I promise you. And your mother, as well. The important thing is to come to terms with this, and know that your denial only makes you miserable. You could be happy here--"

"No, I couldn't," she snapped back, cutting off his sentence and bringing their little stroll to an abrupt halt. "You can't force someone into happiness. I was just killed. Memories of my death haunt me terribly. I want to be with Genis again, and I want to complete the task we were working on with our friends. I wanted to see it through to the end - but this is not the end I was thinking of."

She spun to face him in all his attentiveness. "I don't _want _to be here. I can't accept this," she snapped her fingers, "just like that. You know me well enough to also know that. I'm not about to settle into this with a smile. It may be that, like you, I'll come to accept it. But I'm not ready now, and you cannot force me to be. Leave me alone to choose my own time!"

_"Raine... Please..." _

The half-elf froze as she caught her brother's voice on the breeze, like a distant dream. "Genis," she mumbled, lifting her face to the blue sky. She was brought back down to reality by her father's strong hands, levelling their gazes.

"I just... I just want to see you smile, Raine. I told you, I know it's hard. And you're right... Only you can determine how long you deny the truth. But I want what's best for you. I want your happiness. I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead and released her, turning to go.

She shook her head, gazing into the sky again. How long would she keep seeing these visions, and hearing the voices she desired to hear in life? She didn't know. She did know, however, that it would happen only after she allowed herself to believe that her life really was over, and let go of any desperate ties.

Surprised to find her eyes stinging with unshed tears,she wiped at them with her sleeve and determinedly set out to explore. Of course, it didn't take long until she found another familiar face. Zelos met her on the road to Triet. "Raine! How've you been? How'd your presentation go? I heard you really graced the backstreet settlement."

Raine blinked at his trademarked grin. _That _was real enough, anyway. "...Zelos," she murmured. "I've been...alright." Considering the circumstances. "Is everything going well in Meltokio?"

"Ehh. As well as it's ever been - I don't pay much attention to all the political disputes. As long as I've got the girls, it doesn't really matter. I'm not the Chosen anymore, so what do I care, you know?"

Same old Zelos. Apparently, they were very much like her friends. "You're headed to Iselia, yes? Sheena is already there. She's staying for a while, it looks like."

"Miss Fujibayashi's in the hills, huh? Well, I'll be sure to say hello." Zelos gave a careless, little shrug. "Can't wait to see my bud, at least. And, of course, little Colette. How's the brat doing in Sybak?"

"Um... I haven't heard lately. If you'll excuse me, Zelos. I don't feel too well, I came out to take a long walk."

"Oh, sure. Don't be too long, though. We've all got some catching up to do!" He sauntered off, and Raine let out a long breath. Even though he was irritating as ever, she still found it creepy to be talking to him like this. And, she supposed, she'd have many more encounters like that before all was said and done...

Joy.

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Hehe, Raine's creeped out by Zelos even in the afterlife!

Raine: Any sane girls would be.

That means half of Tethe'alla's female population isn't sane...

Raine: And this comes as a surprise to you?

...Point. Oh, well... I still hope y'all ain't bored with this. Review-ness!


	5. Death Himself

New chapter. Whee! And, as promised, I'm giving you something a little more exciting that Angsty-Raine. n.n

Raine: ...I don't know whether I like that or not...

I'm pretty sure you won't. You never do. But the question here is not whether _you _like it, but rather, whether the _readers _like it. Capiche?

Raine: ...Shut up and get on with it.

Yes, _ma'am. _Sheez.

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Trying to ease the ill feelings, and the grief that had risen in her throat again, Raine sat at the base of a tree in Iselia's forest, her knees hugged to her chest and her eyes closed as she leaned her head against the trunk. She'd slipped into a sort of meditation - it seemed that was possible in this afterlife.

_"Professor... Please wake up." _

She listened to Colette's tearful voice echoing in her thoughts, trying to understand. She still heard them, distantly. So was she hearing life's last gift to her, or was it her longing to be alive, and the hope fading? She was leaning more toward the latter. As much as she wished it was the former, the longer she was here and the more of them she met here, the less likely she thought it was that she'd ever open her eyes in that reality again.

In that case, though, she just wanted the voices to stop. To fade completely... They were too painful a reminder. Her father said this was a happy place, and that she'd eventually come to realize that. However, the very fact that he said that almost made her resentful; almost made her want to stubbornly resist being happy here. But... What logic was that? How would she help anything by choosing to remain miserable?

She'd met all of them by this time... Every one of them. On their way to Iselia for an evident reunion. And, unsurprisingly, Kratos had been absent. Though something bothered her... When she tried to call up his memory, she found she could hardly remember him. What he'd looked like, his voice, his manner. He was fading from her mind - apparently, she would forget everyone she wasn't altogether fond of. Everyone that wasn't here, that she'd known in life, would simply...vanish from her memory. And Raine couldn't decide if that was good, or bad.

In a way, it made her feel helpless. It was forcing the reality upon her rather rudely, that she was really dead. On the other hand, that meant she didn't have to think about them anymore... But still. The negative far outweighed that positive point.

"Are you alright?" asked a voice beside her, causing the healer to start in surprise and tense, opening her eyes wide to stare up at the source. Those eyes nearly rolled as she caught sight of her father. She loved her father... But why couldn't he _leave her alone _for a while? Seeing him was still unnerving, and he always seemed to be

"I am fine," she said, a bit tersely. She got to her feet, starting to walk with what she hoped was a deliberate appearance that would tell him to, in effect, get lost. Evidently not, though, because he followed her. "Look." Raine halted abruptly once they were out of the forest, turning to face him. "I don't want to talk. I don't want to be comforted. I don't want to be told how lovely it is here, either. Alright? I just want you to leave me alone and let me work this out on my own. I'm sorry, but... Please. Just go away." He'd never been this _pushy _before. Why couldn't he understand...?

"Raine... I don't like seeing you this way. I can't just send you off into a corner. I'm your _father. _Give me a break - you can't blame me for being concerned. I tried to leave you alone, but I can't."

"Why not? When I was a child, you always respected me and my wish to deal with things _myself. _I didn't always ask for you to rescue me from my problems then, and I don't want you to try it now! I am not a child. And I don't fall as easily into _death _as you do, quite obviously. Leave me be!"

"Listen to me." His tone had hardened to a distinctly parental chide. "You may not physically be _a _child. But you are _my _child. You are always going to be my little girl, whether you like it or not. And this sulking is only going to make you feel worse! You _have to accept this._"

"I have to do nothing," she retorted, going on defensive. "Arguing with you, having you just pop up wherever I happen to be, is not making me feel bet--" Raine cut herself off, blinking. Her brow furrowing, she studied him. "...Why _do _you just happen to be...wherever I am at any given time?"

"Dear, this is our family's version of heaven. It's not that hard to go anywhere you want. This isn't like life - the rules of reality aren't all in the game here. But that's not the point."

"It's certainly part of the point..." She frowned at him. "This is not like you. This isn't how I remember my father... You're trying to hard to push me into this, rather than letting me come to grips with it myself. Why?"

"To stop you from brooding over it. It's not healthy, and this place does not warrant brooding."

"It does for me. It does right now. I don't want to forget everything I had!" Out of anger and desperation, her eyes were starting to tear again. But everything else was stalled by shock as he backhanded her sharply across the face. She lost balance and fell to the ground, her moist eyes wide.

"Enough," he said, his voice rigid with irritation. "I've tried to be nice about this. I've tried to convince you gently, but you're too stubborn and thickheaded for that to work." She got up slowly, one hand on her bruised cheek. "You are dead, girl. When you fell off that precipice, your life was ended and your soul offered to me. I'm here to take it."

"...Who are you?" Raine asked, faintly. For it was not her father, that much was certainly clear. However, she got no answer. The only response was his hostile advance, and the commencing of a somewhat one-sided battle. She was not armed - and now he somehow had a blade materialized from nowhere.

She was trying to back up, trying to cast spells at him. They would slow him down, but he kept coming. He kept attacking. She kept bleeding. Wherever this place was, it was not without physical pain, nor visible wounds. With a cry, she was sent stumbling to the side and found herself lying in the grass again, panting ruggedly. It hurt... So much... And she couldn't heal herself.

_"She's stopped breathing..." _

_"We're going to lose her!" _

_"No! RAINE!" _

The voices echoing in her mind were loud, and very alarmed. But they brought with them realization. Finally, Raine understood. Her life had not come to an end - leastways, not yet. Her friends were on the outside, doing all they could for her. She was stuck in this dreamland...fighting Death himself.

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Dun Dun Dun!! Yay, cliffy chapter. And yay, action. n.n Heehee.

Raine: Oh, boy.

C'mon... It's cool... I hope.

Raine: Don't. It's futile.

You're so mean to me. Readers, tell me whatcha' think so I don't have to listen to Miss High-and-Mighty over here. -.-


	6. Dare To Hope

Whee, new chapter written last night, but put up this morning since was being evil! ...I always write late at night. Noticed that? Humm...

Raine: Which only causes us to suffer more.

Not always. Sometimes it makes for very fluffy, very lovey-dovey things. n.n

Raine: ...As I said. Torment.

Psshhh... Whatever. Let's see how Raine holds out, shall we?

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_"Breathe, Raine. Breathe!"_

Regal was urging her, sounding like he was bordering on desperation. He wasn't alone in this, however. She could hear Genis' voice, thick with grief and fear, and Colette's sobbing pleas. And she wanted to respond to them...

Stiffly, trying to push away the pain, Raine struggled to her hands and knees. What she felt in her right hand, however surprised her. She forced her eyes open to behold her favored weapon - her staff. Was this a result of the obvious attempts at resussitation by her friends on the outside? It hadn't been there before... But she didn't have much time to think over this.

Her opponent brought down his sword to finish what he'd started, and she thrust her staff up to shield her body. "Not this time," she gasped. "I'm not going to sink into oblivion...without a fight." It wasn't easy to get to her feet, as she kept having to block his weapon, and he kept almost upsetting her balance again. But when at last she had risen, the battle raged on with a bit more equality. It was still trying, considering the wounds she already had. But she was no longer near-completely helpless.

It was something of a wonder her staff didn't snap under the force of his blows, or break with the sharpness of the blade. It did crack once, and her heart seemed to leap with it. Surely that would mark the end... But as she continued to parry her "father's" thrusts and wild slashes, she was amazed to find the crack lessening somewhat. It seemed to have partly repaired itself - whatever they were doing for her body, it had to be helping.

_"Don't you die on me!" _

From the sound of his own breaths, the way some syllables were pronounced and breathy, she could tell he was performing some variation of CPR. She heard Zelos murmur something about a healing spell in the background... They were trying very hard for her. Fighting for her life on that side. She had a duty not to let them down - she had to do her part here. She would not be Death's plaything.

"Give it up, woman," her father's imposter snarled during one of the times their weapons were pressed against one another in a momentary pause. "Your time has come. Make it easier for yourself."

"There are seven people fighting for me. Seven of my friends. I have no right to give up and let their efforts go to waste," she retorted, ignoring the sticky feeling of a small trickle of blood sliding down her cheek from right under her eye. "And I have no desire to satisy your sedistic purposes."

"Their attempts are destined to fail. You cannot survive a fall like that. This is pointless!" He pressed harder, straining against her defenses. His eyes had changed from a pleasant green, to a shadowy black. More the look of nothingness, really.

"I trust them," she replied through gritted teeth, "more than I trust you. You're lying, canniving. You have but one agenda - to bring another being out of life, to fall into your realm instead. But this lost soul is fighting back! _I will not succumb to death_!" she cried, as the clacking of metal on wood started its rythm up once again.

The next moment seemed to happen rather quickly, her actions almost being carried out without much in the way of her consent. She had hopped backward and started casting. When she released the spell, however, it was like a rush of energy through her. It strengthened her spell. "Holy Lance!" she shouted.

The intruder within her soul was caught in the light-based attack. The entire area flashed with a very bright light, too bright to see anything at all. She shielded her eyes, and the next thing she knew... It felt as though she were laying down - had the force of her spell knocked her over, too?

But then she felt something against her lips - or rather, something draw back from her lips. Someone else's mouth? she thought detatchedly as she felt herself cough, and heard her own gasping, needy breaths.

"Professor...?"

"Sh-she's breathing on her own..."

"Yes. Raine - Raine, calm down. Deep, steady breaths. Don't hyperventilate. You're alright..."

Raine tried to listen to this deep voice that belonged to someone whose own breath was slightly heavier than normal. She tried to slow her respiration, to get a few good lungfulls of blessed oxygen. Her head was pounding - heck, her whole body hurt. She felt like she hadn't drawn a breath in far too long. "A...oww..."

There was a mini-chorus of gasping from somewhere to the side, and something thudded next to her. "Raine!"

The healer forced her eyes to open. Did she dare to hope...? Could it be that they'd won? Had they cheated Death? When her blurry, watery gaze met sea-blue eyes belonging to Regal Bryant, and she felt a child's hands gripping her arm tightly, in fear, she desperately wanted to believe it was so.

"I'm...ali-ive," she stated, in a voice broken with pain, relief, and an all around drained feeling - both emotionally and physically. "Alive..."

"Yes. You are." Regal visibly relaxed, sitting back against the rock behind him and closing his eyes. She followed suit, coughing a few more times.

She could still feel Genis holding onto her as though letting go would cause her to be lost, afterall. Weakly, Raine lifted a hand, and felt her fingers brush against his cheek, as much to comfort and convince herself as it was to do so for him. It was a wonderful feeling... To know she was not dead. To know she was with her friends...

Though the pain she'd suffered spiritually was still there. Her father, even knowing he wasn't really father. It was hard. But she was too tired to try and sort it out now. she drifted off to sleep, the last sensation she felt before then being lifted gingerly into someone's arms, her broken bones protesting even with the utmost care. But that, she could live with.

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Hallelujiah! No funerals for you! Aren't you glad?

Raine: ...I suppose...

Don't get too excited. -.- Anyhow. This isn't the last chapter. We need some reflection on these events, don'tcha think? Alli wants it, too. Let's make Alli happy, Rainesy.

Raine: I really don't care whether these moronic authors are happy or not.

And that is why you have no friends. Don't hit me!!...


	7. It Can't Be

And another chapter. Hey, all you who were following this from the very start, check out the new summary and all that jazz. I changed that and the title, as you can see, to better fit what I'm going to do now. Two of my reviewers inspired me, so now I'm elaborating a bit on the plot. Thanks, I., and Alli.

Raine: Why couldn't you just leave it alone?

Because...That would be meh.

Raine: Brilliant answer.

Heehee. Le'ssgo.

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The second day after her accident, Raine wanted to be up and around. It was against some opinions, but she didn't care. While they were here, Mithos was carrying out his plans and getting further and further ahead of them. Her body was still weak, and she was still sore. Her back and legs didn't always like to support her, and she hated to rely on the aid of someone else - which in this case included multiple people such as Genis, Sheena, Regal, and Lloyd. She did not stoop low enough to let Zelos help her.

They allowed her to walk, but only around Sybak. She got quite tired of seeing the University Town. The library held interest, but only so much when one was on a journey to save the world. Or worlds, as the case would stand. Currently, she was "on the arm" of her younger brother, walking slowly and stiffly - a little unsteadily, though she wouldn't admit to that. The healing spells had mended the bones. But they were still unhappy with her.

"I'm glad you're okay, Raine," the boy remarked, not looking at her. "You really scared me. I thought... I thought I would lose you. I was sure, when you stopped breathing, that you were gone."

She turned her gaze on him, lifting her hand off of his shoulder to smoothe his unruly hair. "You want the truth, Genis?" asked Raine. When he looked up, she told him softly, "It scared me, too." She winced, and laid her hand back on his shoulder.

He slipped his arm around her waist, not daring to hug her for fear of hurting her. "Regal and Zelos were the ones that brought you back. At first, they tried just healing magically, but it didn't work. And all of a sudden you just quit breathing on us. Regal abandoned that idea and started with CPR. It wasn't until he resorted to mouth-to-mouth that you responded, though. He'd just started when you came around. It was really weird to see that... But he was saving you, after all. I figured I'd let it slide." Genis smiled up at her a little.

"We can only be thankful it wasn't Zelos," she replied. "Resuscitation or not, I do think I'd have to hit him."

"If I didn't first," he grinned.

Raine smiled at him in response, and they walked on in another silence. After a few minutes, she broke it. "You don't remember our father..."

He gave her a puzzled, quizzical look. "No, I don't. I don't even remember when Mom left us at the Otherworldly Gate. What's that got to do with anything?"

"I saw him." She was watching the sky now. "When I fell, something happened to me. My body wasn't completely lifeless - I wasn't quite dead - but... I know it was close. I would guess it was my imagination playing tricks on me in my near-death state. I was in a sort of afterlife, specifically for our family. I saw our father. Or, who I thought...was our father. As it turned out, he was the human-appearing form of death. I had to fight him - with the help from the outside. It seemed so real, but... It can't have been."

"...Are you sure? What if that's what happens when the causes of death aren't natural? It could have been yyour mind translating the situation into events - depicting the fight against it."

"In that case, it's still not real in a tangible way. But that would make some sense, I suppose. Honestly, I'm just glad it's over. It was not the most enjoyable experience I've ever had. I've had nightmares about it... Not so much the fall itself, but the situation after it, and how close I came to the early end of my life. I'll have to thank Regal and Zelos."

"Ready to go back?"

Oh, she knew to what he was referring. And no... She didn't particularly wish to go back to her confinement. "I'd rather stay outside," she admitted. "I've seen enough of that in to last me a good, long time. You can go, though. I'll be fine by myself."

"Raine," he said, his voice flat and carrying a tone not unlike her own scorn. "You still need time to recover... I don't want to leave you alone."

"I'll take her," offered a new voice. The siblings Sage looked over their respective shoulders to behold Regal standing behind them. "Provided you'll both allow it." It was interesting how politely this giant of a man conducted himself.

"What am I now, a dog to be walked?" she asked, a minorly bitter edge to her sarcastic tone. The Duke blinked at her, apparently startled. But she held up a hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm just getting sick of this dependance."

When Genis had traded spots with the larger human, her hand resting around his elbow, the walk was continued. When they'd gone for a little while without speech, she remarked, "I understand you're to thank for my life."

"Zelos and I did what we could for you... Everything we could." A graceful and tactful response. He wasn't taking the credit for it.

"Still. Genis told me what happened; I would like to thank you. The alternative was...not pleasant." Maybe it was because he looked like he would understand. Maybe she just felt the need to talk it out further than where it had gone with Genis. But she told him the story of what she'd lived through during her unconciousness.

"I can understand the lack of attraction. You're very welcome, Raine. How are you feeling, by the way?" He sounded genuinely concerned for her health. "You've had quite an experience."

"I'm a little sore. A little unnerved. But it's nothing I can't live with... I must admit. What I saw, in that little dreamworld, was frightening to me. It was bad enough knowing I was dead - or rather, that I would be very soon. But then, with the addition of being forced to fight the image of my father. And coming that close - fighting Death himself. It was nerve-racking to say the least."

"I can imagine--Raine?"

Raine had frozen, her eyes wide and her lips parted. Her face looked the slightest bit pale, and she was staring at something she had seen in dreams, and every night hoped not to see again. "...No," she whispered, staring at the glowering face of Death in her father's form, standing motionless several feet in front of them. "It can't...be..."

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Gasp! Omigosh.

Raine: -Groan- Why me!?

Because you're my absolute favorite character in the whole world and you rock so much that I can't leave you alone 'cause you're so cool! -Deep breath-

Raine: I hate you... I hate you. With a fiery passion.

Love ya' too, deary.


	8. Windows to the Soul

Yay, a new chapter. Sorry... On Monday and Tuesday I was at my brother's, so couldn't write. Since my saved crap is on the computers here at home...

Raine: And what a glorious break it was.

Yeah, well. Forget that, 'cause I'm back and ready to roll!

Raine: ...Why?

We've been through this before, darling. People want to know what happens. Thus, we give them new chapters. Like so.

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Regal followed her gaze, but his eyes met nothing save for the surrounding city. "...Raine?" he repeated, looking back to her. "What's wrong?"

"I can...see him..." Raine's voice was faint, distant. Weak with shock and what sounded like dread. "But how...? _How_?"

"Raine, there's no one there." He maneuvered himself to be standing directly in front of her, so that her eyes would be level with the base of his neck rather than whatever she, apparently, saw. The Duke lifted his hands to cup her chin between them, frowning.

Her phantom seemed to disappear, and she looked up at him with palpable horror. "He was there," she insisted. "Unless I've lost my mind... Which I suppose...I won't rule out..."

"You're not crazy." Regal shook his head. "But perhaps... You _are _tired. Your body and mind alike have been strained by this. You shouldn't push yourself. Come on. We'll go back to the inn."

Raine nodded silently, turning with even less stability than before to return to her confinement. He did admire the dignity she seemed to try and retain, refusing to rely on him for any further help than he had been giving her. She did not want to lose even more independance... But she couldn't deny that she was shaken up.

Dreaming about him was bad enough. Having gone through that once was enough. But to have him reappear here, in her waking reality was just plain horrible. Unless... Something dawned on her.

What she had seen... What if that wasn't just her mind depicting the fight with an untimely death? What if it was truely real? That Death existed in a visible form, to take the lives offered to oblivion. And now, since she'd beat him off in that dream world, he had manifested himself in determination toright the wrong done to him. She had cheated Death, after all. He wanted compensation.

Regal blinked at her as she slowed to a halt with what looked like realization on her face. "What is it?" he prodded, once more concerned.

"He won't stop until he gets what he wants," she murmured, her eyes directed unfixedly at the ground. "However it happens. He'll get it. That's what it is, isn't it?" Raine lifted her gaze, blinking up at him instead.

"What are you talking about?"

"We foiled his plan - in all probability, I should not be alive right now. That didn't sit too well with him. Now I think he's invading my dreams, and even my concious vision. He's determined to set things right."

"...He?" Regal wasn't quite following her. Was she talking about that battle she'd had in her mind, before they'd resuscitated her? If that was it, hadn't that just been an hallucination? She didn't seem to think so. "You believe that being you fought in unconciousness has now come to make sure your life really does end?"

"I know it sounds eccentric. I can't really believe that I'm saying it, myself. But yes... I believe so. That...'being,' Death himself, was teased by the dangling bone. He chased it, almost had it, but it was snatched away. Now he's sniffing it out again." She looked far from comfortable with what she was saying. And in reality, it made her stomach churn to think about it.

"Raine. I think you need sleep," he said quietly, guiding her along. "You'll feel better after a little rest. You're clearly aggitated--"

"Regal, try to understand this. I was denying the idea that it might be real up 'til now. I didn't _want _to believe something like that would happen. But what I saw, both initially and since then, has not been a dream. I don't think I'm hallucinating. I... I'll admit, you have every reason to think me insane. But you haven't experienced what I've been through.

"...This worries me," she concluded, looking away again. "Not many people embrace the end of their life. But I feel like I'm being stalked by some serial killer. Of course... I suppose, in a way, it is like that."

"I won't lie, Raine," the ex-convict told her. "I find it hard to believe."

"So do I. It's a very odd feeling... To be certain of something, but at the same time struggling to believe that it can really be true. Part of me is reluctant to sleep, now, for fear that I'll see him. And I'm not so sure it's an irrational fear, either, if he's got the power I think he has."

He opened the door of the inn for her, nodded her through, and followed once she was inside. "How can he physically harm you in a dream?"

"It may not be exactly physical... If he can manipulate my thoughts, and my vision, there's no telling what he can do from the inside. For instance, inducing a heart attack from massive fear, or shock."

It was amazing how she could be so evidently frightened, and still have the analytical air that followed her constantly. It was also strange, to have her confiding this in him. She wasn't really reserved - by no stretch of words, in fact, could Raine Sage be called "reserved." But she wasn't open about her inner thoughts, her fears, or much of her sentiment.

"I think I understand... But we aren't even certain. And Raine, you can't simply go without sleep. If it makes you feel better, we can have someone watching over you at any given time. We'll get to the bottom of this. But not with your killing yourself anyway with strain."

Raine heaved a sigh. "I suppose that's the best I'll get. I must apologize for this - I know it's difficult for you to grasp. And maybe I am...simply out of my mind."

He stopped at the door to her room. "Perhaps. But then, perhaps not. I'd like to believe the latter, and I will keep trying to understand. Don't worry... As I stated, we'll find out what's really happening to you." Regal gave her the slightest of smiles as she disappeared into her room. The fear that had remained in her eyes, yet somehow not in her voice, stuck with him.

She managed to calm her voice, while her eyes so purely betrayed terror. Funny how true the term "windows to the soul" proved to be. But he also found it funny how clearly he could read that in her. He hadn't often taken the time to size up her emotions. When he did, he saw more than what she seemed to want people to see.

Rather than a cold, sedated scientist, there were times like these that he actually saw a woman.

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...I just can't get away from RainexRegal, can I? o.O No matter what...

Raine: You've noticed this, have you? -.- At least you haven't started the soppy love scenes.

I'll probably try _not _to do that in this one, actually. I've been trying to turn back my romance factor... It's hard. ; ;

Raine: You poor, poor thing.

Thanks alot. -.- Your sympathy is heart-warming.


	9. Second Encounter

Whee, a chapter I didn't actually type up late at night! Gasp!

Raine: Maybe it won't be demented this time, then. And not riddled with mistakes.

Hey! They're never "riddled" with mistakes. All typists have type-o's, dear. I bet you made a mistake with thos Human Ranch computers, eh? Like when they caught your intrusion? Eh? EH?

Raine: ...Get on with it.

xD That's what I thought.

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"Raine... I think we should talk..."

Her eyes opened to behold nothing but blackness. She seemed to be existing amidst nothingness. She stood slowly, feeling almost suffocated with the lack of...well, anything. But that voice...

"Feeling better? Good. You can listen attentively now."

She felt hands close around her shoulders from the back and gave a start, whirling around. She had felt herself gasp - but no sound had come out. Now she stared into her father's altered face. Those eyes like black holes. _I don't want to talk to you... I don't want to be here... Leave me alone... _But her voice simply didn't come. She couldn't speak presently.

"You know as well as I that this is wrong. Don't you?" He was standing closer to her than she would have ever wanted, so that she could feel his oddly cold breath on her face. "You know you shouldn't be out there, alive and well. You, of all people, know that a fall like that should have easily killed anyone unfortunate enough to experience it."

Raine tried to lurch away, but the grip he now had on her arms was too tight. Painfully so. "Don't resist," hissed the creature. "You're in my territory. You have been since that nasty tumble. You thought you'd gotten the better of me, didn't you? Oh, yes. You thought you had won. But your soul is not complete. Part of it is left with me - there will always be a part of you left. With me. Enabling me to speak to you. To visit you, my precious daughter."

His icy fingers ran along her cheek, making her shiver. She tried to scream out of desperation - in hopes that someone in reality might wake her up. Do something to stop this. But nothing happened, and no friendly voice called her to her senses. "If you would resign yourself to the inevitable, you would make is so much easier. Don't you shake your head at me. What do you think you can hope to do against me? No mortal can escape me. Surely this has been proven, since the beginning of time. All life comes to its end. Every burnt out soul joins me. Including yours."

Again, however, she shook her head in determination. Yes, she knew she would die. She knew that, eventually, her life would cease. But she was only twenty-three... Not even a tenth of her full lifespan had been lived. And she would not give up her existance now.

"You insist upon denying this. And yet you cannot even wake yourself. I always get what I want. _Always._" This time, the hiss semed to echo around in the darkness, surrounding her. It pressed the blankness of everything closer in on her, making it hard to breathe. His hands closed around her head, the chill freezing all thought. Her heart sounded ten times louder, pounding in her ears. She struggled to breathe, her entire body going gradually called. All senses seemed to go numb. All she could do was stand rigid, her chest tightening like water freezing into ice.

_"Raine... Raine! Wake up!" _

That one voice cut through everything. She fumbled for control, trying to hold to it in desperation. It was her life-line, and she knew it. Even as Death tightened his own grip, she reached out with her mind to draw herself back to awareness with the aid of that voice.

She bolted upright in a flurry of blanket, panting and gasping for breath. She might have fallen right out of the bed if someone hadn't steadied her. She still felt cold, and realized almost right off that she was shivering like mad. In a moment she felt someone climb up on the bed and wrap their arms around her. When she opened her eyes to behold her rescuer, she saw her brother.

"Genis," she said, hoarsely. She returned his hug, feeling as though she needed it. His body was warm against her cold skin. "...Genis..."

"It's okay now. You're awake." He clung to her, sounding like he'd been quite rattled by something. "...You're so cold. Raine, what happened? Why did you sound like you were choking? And you looked tense, and your face was pale - are you alright...?"

"I saw him again... He won't give up..."

"Do you mean that thing that looks like Dad?"

"Death," she whispered. "He's come..."

"Regal told us what you said to him," Genis informed her. "It has to be true, for that to have happened to you. I was afraid you'd suffocate." He drew back a little to look at her in concern. "Are you okay? You still feel cold."

She shook her head slowly. "I'm alright for now." She rubbed her face, then smoothed hair back from her forehead. "Just a little shaken up." Alot shaken up. She did keep hold of her composure. But it was hitting her how close she'd come, again, to giving way to Death. "Thank you, Genis," she sighed, closing her eyes for a minute. "It's a good thing you were here."

"Don't mention it... I'm just glad I came in when I did. I'd only just gotten here when you freaked out on me." Genis rubbed one of her hands between his, and she gave him a weak smile. She'd regained feeling in most of her body by this time. Her head felt like it had icy handprints left on it, but they were fading, too.

It scared her... But it also made her think. Her attachments to this world were an obstacle to the emissary of lifelessness. She had been able to get back because of her brother. So for now...maybe...

Maybe as long as she kept her ties to life, she'd have something against him. Her friendships and responsibility for Genis. They had once more helped her fend off Death. Impulsively, she drew Genis into her lap to sit and hold him for a minute. For both of their comfort.

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Raine: I stand corrected. It _was _demented.

No. The word you're looking for, Raine, is "cute." It was a sibling love moment! ...After another near-death. Man, don'tcha' hate that guy? What the heck is his PROBLEM?

Raine: Oh, brother. You know what you're writing. And you know you enjoy it.

...Heehee. n.n


	10. Ringing Shots

Another chapter arrives in which I get to be mean to you, Rainesy.

Raine: ...Oh, dear... What did you do this time? -.-

You'll just have to find out, won't you?

Raine: I hate you... With a passion...

Haven't you said that before?

Raine: You've obviously not paid any heed.

Well...duh.

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There she was... Finally. She was apparently quite talented at eluding those who sought her out directly. But Lloyd watched his professor as he approached her, looking on in mixed exasperation, concern, and admiration. She was evidently practicing with her staff, going through a sort of pattern dance.

"Woah!" He put on a burst of speed as she lost her footing and started to fall, steadying her. Raine blinked at him. "Are you okay?" asked the swordsman, helping her regain balance.

"I'm fine," she replied, quietly, straightening her shirt and resting the butt of her staff in the grass. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was wondering the same thing about you." Lloyd shook his head. "I was watching you just now - that's pretty cool, what you were doing with your staff. But you know... You shouldn't be doing anything that expending."

A weak smile and sniff of amusement were her response to this. "It beats the nightmares I have. And thinking about what's going on."

"But you're just hurting yourself by doing this. What would have happened if I hadn't caught you?" her pupil insisted.

"I'd have fallen again." Again? Lloyd sighed quietly, but she continued. "Look, Lloyd, I appreciate your concern. But... Quite frankly, I'm sick of that inn, I'm sick of being walked like a misbehaved puppy, and I'm sick of what's happening to me. Right now," she concluded, restarting the pattern dance, "I'm keeping my mind off of it."

He reached up, skillfully taking the wooden stick from her hands. Yes, this got him her famous reproving glare. But he was so used to that by now, it was like a smile to him. "Lloyd, don't interfere. This is _why _I came out here. I want to be able to distract myself."

"But over-exerting yourself? I know it's been three days, Professor, but you're obviously still not fully recovered. Nevermind what's going on in your mind."

"...I think you'd better come up with a different way to say that," she advised, closing her eyes wearily. "One might almost think you were implying my insanity."

"No, that's not it. I'm just saying you should take it easy until this is over." He scratched the back of his head. He didn't really want to make her angry - and he wasn't saying she'd lost her mind. What with everything that had happened to them since the Day of Prophecy, he'd believe anything at all. This whole journey had been downright strange. "...You look really tired."

"What do you expect?" Raine lowered herself slowly to sit in the grass. "I only slept for, at most, two hours last night. I can't go to sleep now, for fear of a reccurance. And while my mind is telling me over and over that this is simply ridiculous, I cannot forget these experiences. I am a scholar. I deal with science - a part of which this is most certainly not. It's impossible... But it's happening. Science does not give answers to this. No book can explain it, either."

He watched as she pulled her knees up to her chesst and put her forehead against them. She was exhausted, he knew. Everything mouted up and took its toll. Lloyd sat by her, trying to offer a reassuring presence. "We'll get to the bottom of this, Professor."

"That's another thing I keep hearing. But we haven't learned anything, have we? We're just as lost as we have been from the start."

"We'll keep trying," he insisted. "There's got to be something we can do about it. There _has _to be. I'm not going to give this up. And I know Genis won't, and Colette won't. No one is going to just ignore this."

"...I know," she murmured. He detected an odd note in her voice, though. And when she raised her head slowly, he could have sworn he saw her discretely lift a hand to her face. Oh, he had a hunch - she had teared up. But he knew much better than to bring that up with her, particularly when it was obvious she was trying to cover it up.

"Don't worry, Professor." He put a hand to her shoulder as she stared out toward the water. "We'll beat this guy again. He'll just have to wait another thousand years." The adolescent grinned at her. She looked as though she tried to return it, on a smaller scale, then took her staff back and stood.

"Yes. He will."

The two began to walk back together, Lloyd feeling better now that he thought he'd provided some comfort, at least. Even if she did still look tired and wary.

They had re-entered Sybak, and were making their way back to the inn, when she halted and looked off the side, her eyes wide. He stopped a pace or two ahead, turning back to look at her. "Professor?" The next moment happened too fast for him to react.

He heard a couple of loud gunshots - which startled him anyway. But when he heard her cry out, and saw her go down, his eyes widened in horror. "Professor Sage!"

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Augh! She just can't catch a break, can she?

Raine: -Growl- -Thwack- Why can't you leave me alone?!

Because... That's no fun.. And there's no point to a happy, fluffy fic with nothing in it.

Raine: So stop writing!

-Gasp- Never!!


	11. Not Again

I know. My cliff-hangers _are _quite evil, aren't they? n.n

Raine: -Glare-

You can scowl at me all you want, dearest. It really won't change a thing.

Raine: -Thwack-

Oww! Neither will that! ...Though it may give me a nice bump. -.-

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She half-curled in pain, lying on the ground on her side and panting ruggedly. It hurt - alot. Her stomach... Raine hardly noticed the hand laid on her arm. There were several voices above her, beside her. Somewhere. It was impossible to make out what most of them were saying, but they were there. And one voice, unfortunately, _did _stick out.

"I always get what I want," hissed an all-too-familiar voice. "You won't escape. Your soul has been signed over to me. I own it. And I want it back."

It faded after leaving her with that pleasant thought, to be replaced with hurried footsteps, and the other, more alarmed voices. "Raine, hang on!" one urged her. She felt herself lifted by someone unknown, carried, she supposed, to the inn.

"Somebody get a doctor!" came another voice. Her head swam with mixed and muddled thoughts, and she was trying to ignore the pain in her middle. After she was laid back down on what she presumed to be a bed, she heard her own sharp gasp as something was pressed firmly against the wound.

The half-elf was trying very hard to remain awake and semi-aware. She did _not _want to slip into unconciousness. Not after what had happened the last time she'd tried to sleep, and the warning she'd just been given by Death. Unfortunately, her mind was blurring. She couldn't hold onto concious thought for much longer.

The last thing she did hear was the door opening again and someone else shuffling in. After that, it all went black. Completely black - frighteningly so. That really could only mean one thing... And sure enough, there he was. But he just stood there, a clear smirk on his cruel face and triumph in the black eyes. He watched her, as though he knew he'd won already, and all he had to do was wait for it to end.

"...I won't," she told him, glad to find she actually could speak in this disturbing vision.

"I wouldn't be so sure, my dear. You may run again. You may slip by me with the help of those idiots out there. But for how long? You're intelligent - surely you know that you did not get hit by chance. Oh, the one who fired was not aiming for you in particular. But do you think that the stray shot hit you by accident? It happened because I made it so."

"While I wouldn't put it past you, there's no way to verify that," she replied, trying to banish fear or doubt from her own voice. "You could simply be taking advantage of this event. You could just be trying to frighten me."

He chuckled. "There's that skeptic again. It never fails to amuse me how you like to analyze and compare, disect and study absolutely everything. But it's no use - I can hear the wavering note in your words, girl. You _are _frightened of me, whether that's my reason or not."

"The only thing I must fear is fear itself," she quoted. "You are no more real...than I believe you to be." Raine was taking deep, steady breaths. She was determined not to let him intimidate her this time. Nor get close to her. But he didn't even try to approach; he just watched in clear amusement.

"You just keep thinking that, my little flower. But eventually you'll see. This won't be the last of your unfortunate accidents... Mark my words."

And with that, he faded, and she opened her eyes sluggishly to behold a few other blurry faces above her. "Mmmh..." Well, at least there was one good thing, she mused, as the faces became clear and actually resembled Sheena, Colette, and Presea - she had apparently been out for several hours. She felt much more rested than before... Even if her stomach did still hurt.

"Raine?" queried Sheena, sitting on the edge of the healer's bed as she tried to sit up. The Summoner put a hand to her shoulder - which, Raine now realized, was bare. Her overcoat and shirt(which had its own battle scars from the wound) were folded neatly and lying on a chair beside the bed. Her upper body was wrapped from her waist to underarm-level in a thick, linen bandage. "Don't get up."

"How long?" she rasped instead, raising a hand to scratch the back of her head idly. It hadn't seemed like a very long itme, going off of her chat with that imposter. But only a few minutes could not have refreshed her this much, nor been enough time for all of what seemed to have happened to take place.

"Seven or eight hours," Sheena replied. "You were really out of it, since that doctor drugged you."

"Drugged?" echoed Raine, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah. So you could get a good night's sleep without being bothered by the injury. Magical healing has helped - it's not life-threatening. But you should still take it easy."

Raine bit back a sigh - she'd done almost nothing _but _take it easy for the past few days. Now she had to be cooped up once again. Oh joy of joys. She was in total rapture...

Hardly.

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Poor, poor Raine.

Raine: I hate you.

How many times have you said that to me since I started writing these fics?

Raine: Countless, I'm sure. But your head is too thick to comprehend.

No. I just like to ignore you.


	12. His Anchor

Ta-dum. I bringeth with me another chapter. It's funny - one of my reviewers hit right on the truth. n.n

Raine: Does that mean you'll finally end this demented tale?

...It's _getting _there.

Raine: -Groan-

Oh, please. You've been through worse than this. -Eye roll- I know. I wrote most of it. xD

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It really was a hideous ceiling. It really, truly was. She was sick and tired of staring at it - thus, she was not. Raine, being alone in her room as she was for the moment, had gotten out of bed. She was currently slipping on a fresh shirt brought by the other girls, taking care not to reopen the wound. Her old one couldn't very well be worn any longer. But for now, she was _going _to walk. And she didn't want to go out with no top but a bandage and her overcoat.

It seemed to her that they were all being rather protective. And what good was it to lie around in bed when she was the only one who could see and communicate with this soul thief? She would rather pass on spending the rest of her likely limited days in fear of what he would throw at her next. Eventually, one of his schemes would succeed. And she would really die.

So how could she just stay in bed, staring at the ugly wooden ceiling, with that kind of thought buzzing around in her mind constantly? Maybe she ought to shove one of them off of a cliff, just so they could know how it felt, she mused bitterly.

Raine sighed quietly in the wonderful sunlight and warmth this spring day provided. Thankfully, she was not intercepted by any of her self-proclaimed body-guards. She might just have whacked them over the head, no matter who it was, to make her point.

She would have given a nice, leisurely stretch - but she did not. She might be up and around, but she didn't really want to harm herself further. Their precautions were nearly ridiculous. Hers was sensible. So she lifted her face to the sun for just a few seconds, and delved into her walk.

"I never knew you were such a rebel," remarked a deep voice at her shoulder, harboring amusement. Raine jumped a little and looked up at Regal. She hadn't even noticed him come up - quite a feat, considering his size and build.

"I'm not rebelling. I'm walking," she replied, turning her head back to watch the air in front of her as she resumed her stroll. "And I don't think I can hardly be blamed for wanting out of that wretched place. I might truly go crazy."

"No, you can't be blamed. But we _are _only trying to keep you safe," he reminded her.

"There's a difference between protecting someone and going overboard with it. You've all done the latter. So thank you, but I'm not a child. And it accomplishes nothing to sit there waiting for my seven appointed parents to tell me I'm no longer grounded."

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," he mused. Oh, she knew what he meant. And he got a reproving scowl from her. But she wouldn't dignify that comment with a response.

"I've decided that I will no longer be Death's plaything. He claims to have had something to do with the shots before. He doesn't leave me alone. And I don't really fancy living a life of paranoia and fear. This ends today."

"We've been researching those shots," Regal told her. "It seems as though it was just a horrible accident. There was a criminal seeking refuge here in Sybak - the authorities were granted permission to use any force they deemed necessary. Unfortunately, some of their so-called force affected civilians." He nodded to her. "There were a few students who got a taste of it, too. Although, none as serious as you."

Raine sighed. "Which would seem to indicate that he did play a hand in there somewhere. And that's exactly why I'd rather not stare into oblivion until I heal enough for him to kill me anyway. Or, at the very least, make another attempt."

"I believe any of us would feel as you do now."

"...Then why are you treating me like a precious heirloom to be stored and protected until it rots?" she half-snapped.

"Because we want to keep you safe," he replied, his voice remaining smoothe and calm even as hers had risen just a bit. "I'm not so sure you would take our side if it were someone else in your position."

She glowered at him, resenting his argument. But, alas, he may have been correct. "I suppose so," she sighed in resignation, the scowl fading again. "But it's not someone else - it's me. And being that as it is, I can _rebel _if I so desire."

Regal chuckled quietly at her side. They fell into silence - Raine wasn't certain why he was still walking with her. But as long as he didn't try to drag her back to the inn, she was fine with it. Maybe his presence would keep Death at bay for a while.

As they passed by the library, she heard a familiar sound, and halted at once. _"I always get..." _it began, and she whispered the rest along with it, "...what I want..." Her eyes widening, she looked toward the innocent-looking library doors. "You won't escape..."

"Raine?" blinked the Duke, looking down at her.

"The book," she murmured, something dawning on her. "What if... What if _that's _his anchor?"

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-Gasp- Le livre! Sacré bleu!

Raine: ...Why...are you speaking in French?

-Shrug- Because I love the language. And I'm learning it. So I wanted to put somethin' in there.

Raine: Oh, brother.

Genis?

Raine: -Thwack- Idiot.

OW!


	13. Lesson Overdue

...This chapter totally disappeared randomly... And I don't know why. -.- What. The heck. Well, here...

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Regal caught her as she tried to make a run for the library. "Raine!" he warned, watching her wince and bend over a little in pain, one hand clutching her stomach. "You've got to be careful! Perhaps you think you're well enough to just just run off and fight, but you're not."

She did struggle weakly against him, but this only worsened her predicament. After a moment she slid to her knees, the arm he wasn't holding still tightly pressed against her wound. He crouched beside her. "I know you want to end this. But think about it for a minute... You're being uncharacteristically reckless, Raine. I've watched you enough to know that you're not this careless. It's desperation speaking - and you can't afford to let that be your driving force. It will kill you."

Raine was silent for a few minutes. Then, her head still hanging, she spoke. "Yes... You're right, I know. I'm sorry. I just... I just want my life back," she finished in a nearly inaudible mumble. "I am tired of living in fear. Tired of being his toy. If I have a chance to end it, I want to...do so..."

She sounded as though she were a little light-headed. Though it was difficult and maybe a little awkward, he slipped his hands over her head and supported her, bringing them both to their feet. "You're not alone in that, I assure you," he told her quietly. "But you also have to be sure you _can _do it. And at the moment, you cannot."

"I'm alright," she argued. "I just got a little over-excited, that's all..." She straightened slowly, grimacing. He caught her as she nearly gave way again.

"Careful," Regal advised again. "We'll speak to the others. If the book is truly the connection, there may be a way for us to finally help you in this battle. And I'd rather that than sending you off alone, particularly in this condition, for another spar with death."

He was glad to see she accepted this with a nod, and lifted his hands back over her head to free her. He was still staying relatively close, to lend her support when needed, but she had her dignity, he knew. And it had been getting awkward again.

The two walked back to the all-too-familiar inn, both equally silent. Regal wasn't certain where everyone else was, but this seemed to be the central meeting point. And, sure enough, they found Lloyd poking around outside.

The swordsman gave a sigh as he spotted them. "There you are. Y'know, Professor, it gets a little unsettling when you just disappear like that."

"I didn't realize you required a bulletin every time I sneezed," she replied, dryly. Regal turned his head briefly to hide his little smile of amusement. Raine had straightened a little more, relying even less on his balance for her own.

"Well, no..." Lloyd scratched the back of his head. "But with everything that's happened... We can't really help but worry when you vanish like that."

"Your concern is touching, Lloyd. But as I've said before, it's also unnecessary. Anyway, we think we may have found a way to finally put this whole situation to rest." She had one arm wrapped around her middle, still, but she looked quite composed.

"Really? How?"

"Do you recall hearing about the Book of Niflheim?" After his unconvincing, "Umm... Yeah!", Raine continued. "We were walking by the library, and I heard his voice again. My gut tells me that he's attached to that book. If we could find him, and defeat him in his own territory, perhaps things would go back to normal."

"He'd leave you alone?" asked a new voice. Genis approached, his head tilted.

"Hopefully," offered Regal. "If we can win this battle, Raine may very well earn the right to live her life normally once again."

The half-elf in question nodded. "If we can figure out how," she said, "we might be able to enter the Underworld connected to that book. Once there, we would seek him out and, presumeably, defeat him. There's no guarantee either way - whether it be if that is his anchor, or the idea that if we can beat him there, he'll leave well enough alone. After all, he was defeated once, but that was only temporary... Of course, it was also not his home base. It was my mind, rather than his realm. Perhaps that will make a difference. But regardless, it's all I can think of to do about this."

"Then we'll need to find the others and make the attempt as soon as possible," the Duke advised. "Otherwise, we give him that much more time to attack again. And in this state..."

"Likely I would not survive another 'accident.' Yes." She appeared grave, but determined. "And I'd rather forego that, if it's all the same."

"I don't doubt it." Lloyd gave his own nod, a dip of his head. "It's about time this guy learned his lesson. He needs to be more patient, and learn some manners."

"Death needs no manners, Lloyd," she sighed, speaking of the end of a life, rather than the insistant personification. "It never has. A life is offered, and the darkness takes it. That's normally how it works... But as rude as he has been from the beginning of time, he does not tolerate being cheated. He's determined to get what he sees as rightfully his."

"Yeah, well, you're not his. Your life belongs rightfully to you - and we're going to keep it that way." Lloyd balled his hand meaningfully into a fist.

"Indeed. A living soul is not something to simply buy or trade. I do believe that's a lesson he must be taught," added Regal.

"And who better to teach it than our Professor?" Lloyd grinned at her. She returned it with a half-smile.

"What're we waiting for?" queried Genis. "Let's go get the others and teach this guy a thing or two about us mortals!"


	14. Daughter of Death

I do so love this fanfiction. I really, truly do. It's so much fun.

Raine: There's really no point in making my rebuttal. We've been through this already.

...So I can go on without your usual, "I hate you to the depths of a fiery, active volcano," bit?

Raine: ...Get on with it.

n.n 'Kay.

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"Are you alright?"

She jumped a little at this sudden, murmuring voice beside her, and lifted her gaze to see to whom it belonged. Regal had fallen into step beside her, with Genis walking on the other side. The others were with them, all headed for the library. And ultimately, that book.

"I'm fine," the half-elf replied. Not really looking forward to another confrontation with Death, but that was understandable. And this time...she was not alone.

"Don't worry, Raine," her brother advised. "If you could hold him off all by yourself, then with us here, he doesn't stand a chance."

"The only reason I was able to stay just out of his reach for this long _was _because of all of you." Raine wrapped one arm idly around her middle. The bandage had been changed, and she'd gotten a new shirt to wear over it. It was much more comfortable than walking around Sybak in a linen cloth and her overcoat.

"Now we can do more tha just push him backward, though." Genis had his kendama up on one shoulder, clearly ready to end his sister's torment. They were all ready, she noticed - everyone prepared to fight on her behalf. It was quite encouraging, really.

"Yeah," piped in Lloyd, from somewhere in front of them. "We can shove him into that grave he dug for you."

Genis sighed at the older boy's tactless wording, but Raine shook her head at the ground, traces of a smile tugging at her lips. The sentiment was true to reality - it was just an awkward way to say it. But Lloyd didn't tend to think before he spoke. "Indeed," she mused instead.

She slowed to a halt before the library, having somehow gotten into the lead of the group, and looked up at the somewhat intimidating wooden doors. "Roll out the red carpet, demon," she murmured. "You have company." With that she resettled her staff, and strode in with an air of confidence she hoped would take hold and last.

Zelos went to get the building cleared - they didn't know what would happen when they confronted that book, and no one wanted innocents caught in it. Raine closed her eyes, hand lifting to her chest - to her heart. It pounded heavily, but she could also feel a tugging, as though something wanted to rip out the core of her body itself. "Yes. He's here. And he's waiting."

She went slowly toward a shelf. The book was easily recognized right off - it didn't resemble any of the others in Sybak's massive selection of literature. As she extended a hand toward it, an icy chill descended. A clammy atmosphere she knew all too well. But judging from the involuntary shudders she spotted among her companions, it wasn't only she who felt it.

"It's time," she heard Regal affirm behind her. She agreed. Raine touched her fingertips to the spine of the evil book, and lifted her other arm quickly against a sudden blast of wind that rippled through the entire library, opening and rustling the pages of several other books lying abandoned on the few tables scattered around.

"You've finally come to your senses," hissed an eery voice. She'd gotten used to it, but she could tell Sheena and a few others were a bit unerved by it. "You've finally realized how futile a war it is that you insist upon fighting."

From the very shadows in corners of the room, and under tables and chairs, and being formed. Eyes a darker black than sheer nothingness, deadly sword held at his side. "My precious daughter. Come to me." He extended a frigid, bloodless hand toward her.

But Raine took a step back, in between Genis and Lloyd, matching his empty gaze. "Not this time," she told him, her voice gravelly with defiance and nerves, a feeling that she was trembling down to her very soul.

"We won't let allow you to continue torturing her." Regal's own tone was hard, offering no room for questioning.

Lloyd clenched one fist in front of his face. "I've had just about enough of your games. Professor Sage has earned the right to live. You can't just hound someone until they give up and die."

"You are yet a boy," Death informed the young man. "You know little of the truth about life, and the laws about what happens when it ends." He kept his voice as ice water, smoothe in its fatal calm. "I have been denied something that truly belongs to me.

"The rest of you, I have no interest in. You have not yet been offered. However..." His gaze returned to the woman in question. "You are the daughter of death. You are mine."

He stepped forth - or perhaps the right term was "glided." He didn't walk as a normal person. He simply moved forward. In fact, his appearance suggested that he was something of an apparition. But Raine could feel him - he was real enough to complete his task and achieve his desired prize.

Her life. Her being. Her existance.

When he attempted to touch her, though, Lloyd slashed with one sword. The shadow man tilted his head back a bit from the blade, seemingly unconcerned. "You tread on very thin ice, my friends. eave this life to me, and you may yet keep yours."

"We won't let you hurt her!" exclaimed Colette, determinedly.

"...Very well, then. Until she is in my hands, consider yourselves targets of Death." The steel of his sword flashed as he raised it. Through the group of eight, there was a collective shift as everyone simultaneously readied themselves.

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Aaaand I do so love cliff-hangers. And this chapter was exceptionally fun to write... I got to go into creepy detail. Aren't I sedistic?

Raine: You're past sedistic. You're manic.

Manically sedistic.

Raine: To the tenth power.

Ew. Math. UNCLEAN!


	15. Too Much to Lose

Okay, okay. Here you go, the other half. n.n

Raine: ...Is it almost finished?

Almost.

Raine: Hallelujiah. -.-

_I'm _going to be sad to see it end, anyway. -Sticks out tongue-

Raine: And you're the only one.

...Gee... Thanks.

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It was utterly without warmth in the room, now; full of an eery chill that couldn't be shaken even with the usual heat of battle. So much movement should have easily warmed anyone up. But it remained cold indefinitely.

The creature's primary target was most obviously Raine. Whenever there was a possibility, he was after her in a heartbeat. And, given that she wasn't as quick as she normally would have been, she had a few wounds to show for it. For the most part, the others were able to keep him off of her - and she did manage to hold her own somewhat. But she was getting even slower with each hit landed.

Metal clanked as his sword met with one of Lloyd's. The young man pushed him back, panting. How much more of this would they have to endure? Death seemed not to tire as they did. "You are all fatigued," he remarked. "Soon you will be unable to continue. Unable to defend her. Is it your wish to join her in celebrating the end?"

"You're the only one who's going to see the end," snapped Genis. "Indignation!" The boy cast his spell, and they watched the ring surround their opponent. When it went off with a sharp crackle, however, he was not within it. Rather, he had slipped up behind Raine.

Adrenaline rushing anew through her body, she spun with a wild swing of her staff, nearly losing balance in the process. A chuckle erupted as he moved out of the way. "Fiesty. But you're running on pure nerves, my dear. That's all that keeps you off of that floor. _Fear _of the inevitable. Denial of the truth. Resistance of the darkness. Let go, and you will feel no more pain."

"I will not," she growled through gasping breaths, retaking her stance as Lloyd and the others moved to back her. She was bleeding from her stomach, again, among other various cuts. She'd reopened the gun-made wound. And it hurt. But she couldn't let him win.

Raine leaned on her staff, her free arm pressed against her middle as she watched him with fierce blue eyes. _Get out of my life. My life! _she thought, giving a rugged cough. The battle recommenced with ferocity, everyone relying on adrenaline now.

It really didn't seem to be doing much. They could hit him, but no matter what they did, it only set him back a very small amount. Whereas they became sluggish with fatigue and pain, he remained almost the same. Was it true? Did Death truly get what he wanted, no matter what?

No. No, she couldn't accept that. It wasn't fair - she was _alive_. She had lived through two horrible accidents, and she would not let it end here. Neither would Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Sheena, Zelos, Presea, or Regal. That was quite clear. They were putting their very hearts and souls into protecting her.

When he swiped at her again, it caught her across the face. She stumbled to the side and fell to one knee, braced on her staff again. There she remained, trembling with weariness and pain, trying to catch her breath in all of the coughing and gasping. A single tear dropped onto the carpet out of pure desperation and emotional emptiness.

"Professor!" shouted Lloyd.

Raine managed to lift her gaze, her eyes widening. There was Death, towering over her, his sword raised to end it. In that moment she saw many things. Memories of meeting her companions, various events along the road to this point, her _real _father's smile of encouragement and pride, her brother's frightened expression. There was too much... Too much here, for that sword to end her life and take it all away.

With a cry, she grabbed his wrist as he drove the blade downward and used it to pull herself in an instant toward him. Her staff falling forgotten, she pressed her free palm flat against his chest, shouting something in elvish that she couldn't even have translated at that moment. Her entire hand whitened, burning with a white light.

The thing known as Death froze completely, his expression twisted with anger and something like agony. A yell ripped from his own throat as he seemed to be evaporating into a black sort of mist. The last coherent word he rasped was, "_How_!?"

With that, the whole room flashed, half-blinding everyone there. When the light faded, Raine stood there where she had when facing Death, her palm still outstretched. For a moment everything was still. The Book of Niflheim glowed with a dull white that even then was fading.

All at once, however, the pale, battered and bleeding woman started to fall forward. Her eyes closed, and she knew nothing after someone's refreshingly warm arms came around her.

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Raine: At _last._

Hehehe. Happy days for Raine. She kicked the crud out of Death.

Raine: -.-

Well you did!

Raine: -Thwack-

OW! Stop it!


	16. Unfair

Another chapter, whee.

Raine: Now is it over?

...Um...

Raine: Oh, no... What did you do _now_!?

You'll just have to read... n.n

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"Mmm...mm." Rubbing her head, she pushed slowly into a sitting position. Voices in the room reached her ears as she collected and ordered her thoughts.

"Raine..."

"Yes?" she rasped, opening her eyes to look at Sheena, whose voice it had been. But she didn't get an answer. Rather, someone else spoke.

"Raine, answer us..." Genis? Raine looked around her, not seeing any of her companions immediately surrounding her. They were all in a group a few feet away, something hidden by their own bodies. It was what they were looking at...

"Genis," she said, getting to her feet. It didn't even occur to her in that moment that she wasn't feeling pain - in her stomach, nor anywhere else. She walked toward them slowly, until she stood right behind her shaky brother. "Genis," the healer called again.

He didn't so much as twitch at the sound of her voice - if he'd even heard it. Which she was starting to doubt. "Lloyd?" Raine walked a step or two to the swordsman, who was looking on in disbelief and angry mourning. "Sheena? Presea? Regal... Zelos?!" Something wasn't right. Not right at all.

And when she tried to reach out to her brother in half-panic, when her hand slipped through his arm, when she raised her eyes to finally meet the object of everyone's terse attention, she knew what was so wrong. Her stomach lurched, and her apparently nonexistant hand went to her mouth.

Some knelt, some stood by it. Or rather, by her. Yes... It was _herself_ she was staring at. A perfectly motionless, peaceful-expressioned mirror image of herself, complete with various sluggishly bleeding cuts - including a narrow one that ran under her closed eyes and across the bridge of her nose, and a stain on her shirt that she'd have bet anything was her reopened gun-wound seeping through. "Oh, my..."

Retching a little with the sudden urge to vomit at the bluntness of the scene, Raine closed her eyes and took several deep breaths through her nose as she stepped back. She was...a conciousness, seperate from her body. And her body was there in front of her, utterly lifeless. The depiction of...

Her eyes flashed open. "The depiction of Death," she whispered, ignoring the further sparse conversation going on among the living. Then...he was still around. He was still determined to get her... But how? She had known in that moment that she'd won... She'd done real damage to the immortal grim reaper. Was this just his last ditch effort? His feeble attempt to get her to cross the line? And most importantly... If that were true, _where was he_?

The half-elf's attention was drawn back to the scene before her. She did her best not to gaze upon her own body - it made her sick. Not only because of the gruesome state of unhealth it showed, but because of the idea of it. She didn't even know if what she was looking at was really happening. If her body truly was, at this point, dead in reality, but her spirit close enough to perhaps return. Or if it was all a fabrication used by the hunter to ensnare his prey.

"She can't be dead!" Genis was sobbing. Lloyd was tugging him out of the library. It was slow, because he fought fiercely, reaching back for her body. "We beat him! He's gone! _She beat him_! She can't be dead! Raine! Raine, talk to me! Tell them! RAINE!"

His repeated screams of her name faded as he was finally extracted from the building. She swallowed hard, taking another calming breath. Colette remained kneeling by her prone and lifeless form, her head lowered and face half-shrouded in shadow by a curtain of blonde hair on either side. She gave a loud and violent sob, causing a shudder throughout her entire body. Two identical tears fell to become dark circles on the carpet before her.

Raine scanned each of them in turn as it was decided what must be done. Zelos' face was completely sober. There was no way to make a joke out of this - no way to lighten it. He watched her body with grief even in his eyes, the grim realization that they'd lost her for good. Lost one of their own.

Even quiet Presea's gaze held brimming moisture. "Death," the girl murmured. "It's so...it's so sad... To lose someone close... Death is so...unfair..." A stream of salty water escaped from the corner of her eye, but she remained ever unblinking.

Yes, unfair. All of this was unfair. She had earned the right to _live. _And live she would. This war was not over yet. Raine followed the somber procession as Zelos picked her up like some precious item, as much in shock as everyone else clearly was. Genis and Lloyd were nowhere to be seen now as they exitted the library. Sheena was back near the professor's untangible presence, one hand pressed against her eyes and droplets leaking through every so often.

Regal trailed along beside Zelos, his dulled eyes of sea-blue on the cobblestone upon which they trod. It was the look of revisiting a very painful past, and having to cope with the fact that past was almost the present again.

...Unfair. She had to put an end to this... Preferrably before her funeral happened. Even if this was an illusion, it was a _good _one. And it hurt to see this grief on her behalf. Besides... She wanted her reward. She wanted his pathetic desperation to cease, and her bondage nullified.

It was just one more little obstacle. She could see the finish line. She could see the end to all this, the trophie dubbed as her life. And she _wanted it._

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Raine: Argh! -Thwack- Give it a rest!

I did give it a rest! I didn't write this for a while!

Raine: That's not what I meant!

Too bad! It's too fun to torture you. And I wanted to be angsty and depressing and sad and stuff. And I like this chapter.

Raine: You're just keeping it alive in stubborness.

I am not. I'm keeping it alive with a new idea. Don't worry, your majesty, it'll end soon enough. -.- Geesh.


	17. Time to Strike

Yes, it does kinda' go in all directions. xD

Raine: -.-

...I know. I know. Just get on with it. -Sigh- Well, here's some reflection. Because, as Liz says, I like to be angsty-sad. And tragically poetic and depressing.

Raine: ...I hate you so much.

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The problem...was how to find him. How to track down Death, and force him to return her to life. Because she was certain that was the only way she was going to get back - through him. She wandered among her companions, feeling quite like an ill-at-rest spirit, haunting those she'd known in life. However, they continued to be very ignorant of her presence.

More often than not, they walked Sybak alone. Regal went his way on a walk, Presea another. Zelos idled off. Genis, Colette, and Lloyd stuck together for the most part - though they did each go off for a time of solitude now and then. Sheena took to sitting ouside the town in silence, watching the grass. And it was here the detached "ghost" was, presently. With the Summoner.

"Raine," mumbled the ninja girl from Mizuho, her knees hugged close to her chest. She fell into silence again for a few minutes, before resuming in her murmurings. "What's Genis going to do now? ...It's not going to be the same without you. We didn't really get along, but... Raine, I'm going to miss you."

Raine sighed, though of course Sheena couldn't hear it, and shook her head. "It's just like Presea said... It isn't fair. We were fighting so you _could _live. Instead, it just...it... It was all for nothing. I thought we'd won. I thought _you _had won. But I guess not even the great Raine Sage...could get by Death." She rested her mouth against her knees, tears threatening to spill again.

"You're wrong," the half-elf retorted, her brow knitted. It didn't matter that Sheena couldn't hear her. "This isn't over yet... You should know better than to count me out now. I won't let him do this to me... Or to any of you." This last bit was added quietly to herself as she turned to re-enter Sybak.

She could just imagine what Genis would be going through right now. If it were him going through it at all... Raine did have to keep reminding herself that this _could _all be an illusion. It was so real, so hard to watch, that it was difficult to believe it wasn't real.

She found Regal next, sitting on a bench in a secluded corner of the town, hunched over to stare at either his lap or that ground - she wasn't sure which. He leaned on his forearms, appearing deep in some sort of thought. She almost started to slip away quietly, before she realized that he, too, was oblivious to her.

"This was not supposed to happen," the nobleman murmured, very quietly. Too quietly for the casual passerby to catch. But Raine, who was idling near him for some inexplicable reason, did. "He was not supposed to achieve his goal, win his prize... She was not supposed to die," he growled, his hands clenching into tight fists.

It had to be confusing. Unacceptable. After the fight they'd gone through, and all that care to keep her alive and relatively well, it was all simply over. Leaving with it a visible sense of hollowness and shock - as well as anger, and probably denial.

And so she drifted on by the unhappy ex-convict, almost afraid of seeing the reactions she'd see on the others. Particularly Genis... Oh, she should probably be seeking out the shadowman, but... At the moment, she was taking part in the grief over her lost life. She wondered - did this happen to everyone when they died?

As the healer pondered this, she came upon Presea. However, she didn't linger here, as the girl was simply sitting under a tree, curled into a ball like Sheena, staring at nothing. Likely she was mulling it over, analyzing it, coming to grips with reality. But that thought process was not something that could be seen, so Raine moved on slowly.

She watched Lloyd and Colette walking side-by-side, arm-in-arm. Colette was holding onto him, her face tearstained and eyes red and irritated from rubbing. "I can't believe she's gone," the swordsman said, speaking more to himself it seemed.

The blonde's only response was a little hiccup of a sob, and a shift to lean her head upon his shoulder. And the pair continued; Raine went her own way in turn. She found Zelos, but he wasn't exactly someone she wanted to hang around.

For one, he was... Well... Zelos. And while she was touched at his utter lack of smirk or spark, and his own apparent mourning, he seemed to believe it was up to him to arrange a funeral. She wasn't interested in hearing the arrangements for that ceremony.

So... Last, and most dreaded, she came to her brother. Her steps slowed as she watched him sitting alone in a tiny alley beside the inn. He resembled Presea in his posture and expression - but she felt more than what the odd girl had given off. The younger mage was somewhat pale, his blank eyes wide.

Raine could empathize with him - he looked much like she had felt, when they had first been abandoned by their parents. The realization that, though there were people all around, one was alone. There was no one to run to when you fell down. She came closer and knelt by him, her throat aching. "Genis..."

She wrapped her arms around him loosely, knowing he couldn't feel, couldn't touch, couldn't hear or see. Leaning her head foreward, she put the tip of her nose to his silvery hair. "It'll be alright... I promise," she whispered, in the soothing, motherly tone she'd used in earlier years to comfort him when he cried. "I won't leave you alone..."

"Raine... How could you?" rasped Genis. "Don't you know that...that I need you? I _need you_... You can't just leave me..."

"I won't..."

"It isn't fair."

"I know."

"Raine, come back to me," he sobbed, curling more tightly. Raine, her eyes stinging with tears, stayed close to him for a minute. If she'd needed any more motivation, she had it now. Her little brother...

She blinked, glancing up as she heard a faint panting - faint, but rugged. Pained. He was here... But he was weak. She had a chance...

----------------------------------------------------------

-Twilight Zone Music Here- A chance. Oooo.

Raine: Idiot.

That's not nice, Raine.

Raine: ...I don't want to hear it. -Glare-

Tough chick. o.O Psh. Whatev'.


	18. Impatience Must Wait

I got a new chapter. -Singsong-

Raine: -Groan-

...And Raine is so excited.

Raine: I really don't like you at all.

But I love you to pieces, so I make up for it. xD Let's see what happens, eh?

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She stood, parting from her oblivious brother. It was time to end this at last... Raine set off - she wasn't sure where she was going. But she knew she had to find him and take back her right to life.

The half-elf stopped abruptly to avoid colliding with Sheena, forgetting again that she was not tangible. However, the ninja kept walking, her eyes on the ground. She ended up actually going right through Raine, making the healer flinch a little. Sheena, unphased, kept on going. But it was what happened next that was the most unnerving and puzzling.

As she walked, her destination seemed to fade into...thin air. The scenery, the inn, the alley she was going toward seemed to be dissipating, becoming nothing at all. Blackness. What did that mean?

She didn't know. But it got her moving. Away from the wave of disappearance that was creeping up centimeter by centimeter onthe University town. It gave her an inexplicable sense of fear to think that it was eating away at everything. Did that mean...she truly was sinking into oblivion - leaving this world behind?

Raine trotted through Sybak, coming across her companions again. They were all gathering... Was it time already for her funeral? That quickly? Evidently. Of course, who really knew if time was equivalent for her as for them. She suspected it was, since she'd been with them the entire time, but... Sheena and Genis had now joined them, too. Her perceptions were jumping around, it seemed.

It appeared as though it had turned out to be just a gathering of their group. They trekked out of Sybak, something suspended between Zelos and Lloyd. Well, someone. It was a coffin, presumably with her body lying inside. When they were a fair distance from the town, having walked along the beach the whole way, finally the seven of them turned to face the ocean. She had a feeling she knew what they were planning to do - send her to a watery grave.

The fading around her was still inching closer. She could see Sybak disintegrating behind them. The clouds above were breaking, the blue sky darkening into blackness as well. It looked like it was a ring. A closing circle - her ties were being severed. She couldn't let that happen.

"No!" she cried, out of desperation. They had to know she was here... She had to let them know she wasn't gone. Before she was severed from them completely. It might not be real, yes, but...could she take that chance?

She tried to take Lloyd's shoulder as he and Zelos put down the coffin, but her hand only slipped through him. "Lloyd... Lloyd! _Genis_!" As they started pushing it outward to sea, the fading sped up. Her world was just drifting away... _No...No!_

"Somebody _listen _to me!" growled Raine, shaking her head violently. "You can't do this to me! I don't want to die! _I don't want to die_!" She looked upward. "I stand by what I said!" she snapped at Death - wherever he was. "I will not succumb to Death! I will not sink into oblivion without a fight!"

"Goodbye, Raine," whispered Sheena from nearby, as the professor's body was sent into the water, to sink just before going out of range of sight into the murky depths. There were similar murmurs of farewell from everyone else, and the sounds of crying.

Raine fell to her knees with her own half-choked sob, hugging herself, as all seven of them disappeared into nothingness, along with the surroundings. The ocean, the sky, the beach. Everything. It was gone. "No..."

Her head was lifted a moment afterward by the same panting she'd heard before. There with her in the inky blackness was Death, huddled into himself as well. He was injured and weak... But it didn't stop him from grinning wickedly at her, or from letting a taunt pass his lips. "Your 'fight'...is over. I've won... You have lost, my daughter. The Daughter...of Death..."

"It can't be," she argued, more to herself. "It just can't."

"Oh, but it is... You knew all along...that it was futile... Didn't you?"

She glared at him through her own tears. "Shut up," she snapped at him. Something dawned on her, though - if he'd won...why was he still in such bad shape? _Had _it all truly been real? "...Tell me something. Is this simply another of your stupid simulations? Designed to make me believe that all hope is lost? Are you just desperate, now?"

"Of course not. This is real... As real...as death gets. You're in denial... You remain pathetically stubborn..."

"Why would you be weak and hurt if I were dead now? If you are the victor...you should be strong again..." She rose slowly to her feet, tensing. She'd started out to end it - and now...maybe... Maybe she could. Raine began walking toward him, one hand outstretched and the other balled into a fist at her side. "You're the one that's pathetic. You just can't accept that you've actually lost... The fact that you've been denied your prize infuriates you. So you do everything in your power to convince me of my own death, so that I'll give up and make it true. And I'll commend you - it almost worked."

His gaze was lifted up to her, another disturbing smile on his face. "You don't believe...your own words, child. You speak like that...to intimidate me. But it cannot work. I know...that I _have _won. And nothing you say...is going to change that."

"Stop," she commanded, her tone icy and biting. "If I was dead, then this would do nothing and you'd have no reason to worry about it. But you're just fast-talking again... It's all a lie. Everything - every word you've ever said to me has been a complete lie. And I am finished with it. This. Ends... _Now_!"

Her glowing hand was thrust against his face. She released the energy with a loud cry of effort, determination, and rage. The light engulfed him, making his entire body into light. Unlike both of the other times where she'd supposedly defeated him, she watched as the blackness, the emptiness, was filled with real light. Light she could see through. Light that felt refreshing, that seemed to lend her strength.

The realm had become white, instead. Death was but a scorched symbol of two crossed, diagonal lines in the vast expanse of pure light. It was a natural occurance that came with age - but now...it would be waiting until she came to that point.

Feeling a little dizzy, she seemed to fall forward near-weightlessly, into a soft and peaceful sort of rest.

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It's over! Raine, you won! You finally kicked him back into his own realm to wait another thousand years. n.n

Raine: Might that mean that you'll stop torturing me?

Well...maybe in this fiction...

Raine: ...Why me?

Because you're so awesome. Keep areadin', peeps.


	19. Smart, Strong, and Brave

Okay, finally. I'm updating. x.x Another fanfiction of mine draws to its close with this final, adorable, reflection chapter. And I'm sad t osee it end, but it must!

Raine: Hallelujiah!

Raine, don't get too excited. Just because I'm ending this one, doesn't mean I'm automatically never going to write another one...

Raine: Quiet. Let me enjoy a small moment of triumph. -.-

Ahaha... You do that. Here, peeps.

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It was impossible to describe the feeling she had. It was a deep sense of...relief. It was a zest for life that had been quite energetically aroused. It was happiness, it was giddiness. Whatever it was, it was _good_.

Three days after her victory, Raine stood on the edge of the cliff near Sybak - the one she had first taken her tumble off of - just letting the playful breeze toy with her hair and clothing. She gazed out at the horizon, toward the sun that was rising to look over the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, and the red-purple light of the dawn around it. Everything was absolutely beautiful this morning.

She closed her eyes, a small, unconcious smile curving her lips. Sure, it was a little uncharacteristic for Raine Sage to be delighting this much in nothing but nature, but she was just full of surprises, wasn't she? She had cheated Death on a number of ocassions - with very much help from her friends and her brother, of course. But she was alive, after so many tragedies and events that very easily could have taken her life. She had defeated the ultimate power of darkness. She had defeated the timeless villain feared by all, for good. He was gone, forced to hide in his shadows until _she _was ready to admit defeat. But that, she assured him in her thoughts, was not going to happen any time soon.

Her staff lying beside her in the grass, the half-elven healer spread her arms wide as though to invite the wind to share in her triumph, and allowed herself to merely fall onto her back in the soft, green turf. A veil of white hair fell into her eyes as she turned her head to regard a ladybug crawling along her rod before flying off into the vast world surrounding. "Sor air pyli," she murmured in elvish; it is done.

She sat up again as footsteps alerted her to the approach of another - Genis. Lifting her eyes, she beheld him with a warm smile, and raised her hand out to him. The young mage took it, sitting down beside her. He actually laid down with his head in her lap, and they both spent several minutes in silent reflection before he filled the quietness. "I'm so glad you're okay, Raine. ...I don't know what I'd have done without you."

Raine looked down at him, smoothing his hair that matched hers in color, back from his forehead. "Everything is alright, now... Genis - I will always be here for you. You know that, don't you? I'm never, never going to leave you alone. I promise you that."

He met her gaze. "After everything you did, all the times you fought against Death... I believe it. You're so strong, sis."

"I didn't exactly do it alone," she reminded him. "When it comes right down to it... I could not possibly have survived without the aid of you and everyone else. If one of his ambushes didn't do the trick, surely I'd have killed myself with recklessness. Desperation...fear. They do terrible things, turning even the most level-headed man into a senseless animal." She was a little ashamed of her careless behavior, and though it was the only thing that really could daunt her mood, it did as it came to mind - usually it was she who stopped rash action, rather than having someone(particularly _Lloyd_) prevent her own self-destruction.

Genis seemed to sense this in her. "Raine, anybody would have felt the same way." His tone was grave. He looked suddenly older than his mere twelve years. "Everybody has instincts, even someone like you who can usually reign them in. But...if we didn't react to fear, the whole population would die because they did something stupid and didn't know any better. And you were literally hounded by Death. You were chased by the ultimate _cause _of fear. You hardly slept - and I watched you, you hardly ate anything, either." Here, he gave her a bit of a reproving glance. "All of that just added up. You shouldn't feel shame in being scared, or...you have to be ashamed of me, too..."

Her forehead creased in a frown. "What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"Raine, I'm a coward. I'm scared of everything. You remember how skittish I was when I was little? I used to hate dogs, and I ran away from cats that came anywhere near me. I know I'm better about it now, but... I'm still so scared of everything. I've been scared for most of this journey, because we never knew what was going to happen - and I was terrified of losing you, because you've always been the one to comfort me. You've always tried to make me brave." His violet eyes never left hers.

"That's exactly _why _I can't allow myself to give into those kinds of fears, Genis. We have enough 'instincts' in our group, and what I would have done is stupid and irrational."

"Alot of fears are."

"Precisely. I like to think of myself as a rational woman--"

"Raine, you didn't let me finish," Genis interrupted. "I said that _alot of _fears are irrational. But there are certain things that justify being afraid - and I'd say being chased by Death counts as one of them." He sat up, turning toward her. "I'm not saying Regal should have just let you go on into the library alone, in that condition. Or that Lloyd should have left you alone to fall over again and again. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't be ashamed because you were acting on impulses that _everybody has_. It's how we survive. And, don't forget, you didn't fight Regal very much when he stopped you. You realized that it wasn't smart, _because _you're rational and intelligent and know when you're just acting on adrenaline. Not like Lloyd, who would have faught tooth and nail todo what he wanted to do right then and there. And that's good. It means that, even through being terrified and desperate, _you're still smart_. You're still the smartest person I know. This just means that you've got a heart, as well as a brain."

She had let him get through this speech without further interruption, and now just gazed at him with a sisterly fondness. It was somewhat strange to have her younger brother teaching her a lesson like this, but...maybe she had needed it.

"Thank you, Genis," murmured Raine.

He hugged her, face buried in her shoulder. "Don't forget, Raine. Regardless of our help, _you _were the one who ultimately beat him. You're smart, and strong, and _brave_."

She held him close, lifting her face once more as the sun made it completely over the horizon and cast its orange glow over the two of them.

_For you, Genis... I must always be._

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Awwwwww, how sweet. Did y'all like it? Tell me the truth. Do you think it was weird/skippy/whatever?

Raine: If I say yes, will it stop your writings?

Not a chance.

Raine: I thought not.

Besides, I wasn't asking you. I was asking my _kind _readers. The ones who actually seem to _like _me.

Raine: Don't get started.

Hmph. Well, people... Keep reading my works! xD


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